Fangman said that deciding what to add to the menu is 100% guest driven, analyzing sales trends and considering seasonality.
Innovation, however, is key, he adds, and they ask themselves how to create exciting items with ingredients already in use, whether to source new ingredients to create a fresh line of offerings, and whether to drop an item that has declined in sales.
One aspect in innovation is creating new and exciting items with ingredients Dash In already uses, Fangman said, which helps minimize waste. This is done with their new bistro-style sandwiches featuring melty cheese and grilled, golden-brown bread. By repurposing ingredients like these that are already featured in other menu items, Dash In was able to craft two new sandwiches: the hot Italian melt and the Cubano melt.
At Spinx, the company is expanding its staple item, chicken, with tenders and bone-in, and it’s launching nuggets.
“We’re hoping to do some fun things with nuggets,” Hagans said. “We’re also going to launch a special Spinx sauce with that.”
Nitro coffee is a new addition for Spinx, Hagans said, which is cold brew dispensed from a tap infused with nitrogen.